#WrestleZagreb

Takacs shows Hungary the way with gold at Zagreb Open

Friday, February 3, 2023 - 23:18 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 3) -- With the European Championships just two months away, Hungary is facing the pleasant problem of plenty.

On Friday at the Zagreb Open, it entered three wrestlers in the 87kg weight class, with the hope of finding an answer to who will be the representative at the continental championships which, incidentally, will be held in Zagreb.

The first Ranking Series event of the year, which has two-kilogram weight tolerance, entered its day three with two Greco-Roman and four women's wrestling weight classes.

At 87kg, Hungary entered Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), David LOSONCZI (HUN) and Istvan TAKACS (HUN), aiming to finish at least two on the podium.

By the end of the day, it was only Takacs who managed to win a medal, gold, and laid his claim to the spot on the national team. The fact that he did after navigating through a tough bracket, makes his claim even stronger.

"It was a long and tiring day," Takacs said. "I was wrestling well but it was a very long day."

Takacs had to beat World Championships silver medalist Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), Hamidreza BADKAN (IRI), U23 European champion Marcel STERKENBURG (NED), teammate and world bronze medalist David LOSONCZI (HUN) and Asian champion Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) to win the gold.

Going through a tough set of wrestlers made Takacs struggle for breath after the first bout against Bisultanov as both exchanged only passivity points but gave it all. This was Takacs fourth win over Bisultanov in as many meetings.

After winning against Badkan, Sterkenburg did trouble Takacs. However, the Hungarian managed to get a turn from par terre to win the quarterfinal.

Losonczi managed to give him a tough fight but Takacs had a four-pointer from par terre in the first period. Losonczi did manage four points in the second period but could not get two more to beat Takacs.

During all this, Szilvassy suffered a close 3-3 loss to World Championships 82kg silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) in the pre-quarterfinal. Berdimuratov suffered a rather surprising loss to Alizadeh in the quarterfinal.

Alizadeh failed to repeat his heroics in the final as Takacs shut him out with ease.

Takacs, the U23 world champion, led 2-0 at the break, gave up a point for passivity but managed to score two stepouts in the remaining time to win 4-1.

"I had to wrestle some tough wrestlers," he said. "The final was also tough against Iran."

Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) in the 77kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) did reduce some of the disappointment for Iran by winning the 77kg over youngster Alexandrin GUTU (MDA).

While it was evident that Geraei was a shadow of his own self, he managed to reach the final after some hard-fought wins.

He opened the day with a 6-5 win over Juan AAK (NOR) as the score was 5-5 at the break. However, Geraei got the passivity point in the second period and managed to defend for the remaining time.

Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) was cautioned out as he kept violating the par terre position. This gave Geraei a breather which he used to beat Per KURE (NOR) 11-0.

In the semifinal, Geraei managed to get the turn from par terre against Jonny BUR (FRA), who failed to do so and lost 3-1.

Gutu, on the other hand, dominated his run to the final with convincing wins over Mikko PELTOKANGAS (FIN), Paulius GALKINAS (LTU), Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) and Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) in semifinals.

He began the final on an aggressive note and got the par terre advantage. But as Geraei slipped out of it, Gutu tried to lock and hit a big throw. Geraei overpowered him and threw him instead for two points.

Gutu scored a stepout but the score was 2-2 in Geraei's favor and Gutu never found the final push to break the criteria.

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) won the 62kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Motoki shows she belongs

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) expressed her disappointment after failing to win the gold medal at 59kg at the World Championships in September.

Three months later, she had put that behind her and pulled two of the biggest wins of her career, beating Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) and world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) at the Emperor's Cup at 62kg.

Continuing from where she left in Tokyo, Motoki made her international debut at 62kg a memorable one, winning the gold medal with ease.

In the five bouts she wrestled to win the gold in Zagreb, Motoki scored 41 points and gave up only two points. She also had two falls and a victory via superiority.

The first to fall was  Lauren LOUIVE (USA) before she pinned Viktoria VESSO (EST). Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) did fight hard but failed to stop Motoki from winning 8-1. Motoki pinned Lias NUNES (BRA) in the semifinal.

From the other side, Grace BULLEN (NOR), the World Championships silver medalist at 59kg, made it to the other side and was dominating her bouts throughout the day.

After beating Eniko ELEKES (HUN) and Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB), Bullen defeated Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) 11-0 before a nerve-wracking semifinal against Kayla MIRACLE (USA).

Miracle led 4-4 before a pushout along with caution gave Bullen a 6-4 lead. But she still had time to score and regain it. However, that hope was dashed when Bullen was awarded a stepout and Miracle challenged the call. The replays confirmed the scoring and Bullen led 8-4. A consolation takedown was not enough as Bullen secured a place against Motoki.

But the Japanese wrestler was having none of it, beating Bullen 7-0 for the gold medal.

Aisuluu TYNYBEVKOA (KGZ) lost in the opening round to Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) and failed to win a medal.

Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) attempts a single-leg attack. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan) 

The second gold for Japan came at 65kg as Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) defeated Mallory VELTE (USA) 2-1 in the final.

In a format with two groups, Yoshitake was lucky to reach the semifinals despite losing to Emma BRUNTIL (USA). Yoshitake defeated Mallory VELTE (USA) in the opening bout who in turn beat Bruntil.

With all three wrestlers tied with one win and four classification points each, it was Velte and Yoshitake who moved into the semifinal as they had more technical points than Bruntil.

Velte defeated Iva GERIC (CRO) and Yoshitake beat BHATERI (IND) in the semifinals and set up the final which Yoshitake won.

Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) won the 68kg gold at the Zagreb Open. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 68kg, Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) announced that she is ready for the World Championships and Olympics with the gold medal. She defeated Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) 5-0 in the final but it was the semifinal that proved to be a bigger test for Larroque.

World Championships bronze medalist Irina RINGACI (MDA) started as the favorite on paper and was even leading the bout. But she decided to sit on her 3-2 lead and paid the price. Larroque shot a double leg which Ringaci could not defend and gave up four points. A lost challenge added one more for a 7-3 win.

"I'm very happy to do this," Larroque said. "I haven't competed since last year because I had surgery. So I'm glad to wrestle against new girls I didn't know yet like Moldova."

Ringaci, who won the world title at 65kg in 2021, is one of the biggest threats at 68kg and Larroque is aware of the same.

"She was champion of Europe last year and champion of Europe in 2021," she said. "It was a match I have been waiting for a long time because I had never challenged her and I'm happy to have fought with her before [this year's] European Championships because I understood that I'm healthy and that I can win."

Larroque has been struggling with a knee injury for quite some time but her performance on Friday gave a peek into her recovery which is now on track.

"Last year was complicated," she said. "I did a lot of gym, muscle building, re-education and this allowed me to regain strength after the surgery and I'm sure I'm ready for the Olympics."

However, qualifying for the Olympics in Paris won't be easy for Larroque.

"It’s true that I lost a lot of weight but I am happy to be at 68kg," she said. "For now, the most important things are the European Championships because there is still a rivalry between me and Pauline [LECARPENTIER] and I really would like to be the champion and qualify for the Paris Olympic Games."

Larroque lost to Lecarpentier in a domestic trial at 68kg and had to wrestle at 65kg at the senior World Championships last year.

With her task cut out domestically, Larroque can draw inspiration from the fact that the Olympics will be in her hometown with the possibility of her family watching her win an Olympic medal.

"The whole family is excited because it's Paris," she said. "It's been 100 years since there have been [Olympics] Games in Paris and I am happy to fight in front of my family."

World champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) won the 59kg gold medal after winning all four of her round-robin bouts.

Only five wrestlers were entered at 59kg and Nichita outscored them 38-0. The only wrestler who stopped her from going for superiority was Yui SAKANO (JPN).jyu

RESULTS

WW

59kg
GOLD: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
SILVER: Yui SAKANO (JPN)
BRONZE: Alyona KOLESNIK

62kg
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Grace BULLEN (NOR), 7-0 

BRONZE: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) df. Lais NUNES (BRA), 2-1
BRONZE: Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), 11-1

65kg
GOLD: Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) df. Mallory VELTE (USA), 2-1  

BRONZE: Iva GERIC (CRO) df. BHATERI (IND), 3-1

68kg
GOLD: Koumba LARROQUE 🇫🇷 df. Adela HANZLICKOVA 🇨🇿, 5-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Solin PIEARCY (USA), 6-0
BRONZE: Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) df. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), 3-2

Greco-Roman

77kg
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)df. Alexandrin GUTU 🇲🇩, 2-2

BRONZE: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Johnny BUR (FRA), 3-0
BRONZE: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC(CRO), 1-1

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), 4-1

BRONZE: Ivan HUKLEK (CRO) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 9-0
BRONZE: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 9-0

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Day 4 Wrestling Preview: FS 57kg and 86kg; WW 57kg

Thursday, July 25, 2024 - 21:10 By Vinay Siwach

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PARIS (July 25) -- After the Tokyo Olympics high, a possible David TAYLOR (USA) vs Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) bout was the most anticipated one for the Paris Olympics. But Aaron BROOKS (USA) had other plans. He defeated Taylor in the Olympic trials in the United States to book his spot at 86kg for the U.S.

Now, Yazdani is the favorite to win the gold. He can also become the first Iran wrestler to win two Olympic golds.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

The 86kg weight class on August 8 isn't the only one in which history can be created. Both the other two weight classes also have a chance to see some historic medals to be won.

The 57kg in Freestyle will have world champion Stevan MICIC (SRB) trying to win the first medal for Serbia in Freestyle at the Olympics. Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), also a world champion, has the same task for Albania.

In women's 57kg, Rio 2016 champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) has a chance to win the third Olympic medal for the U.S. while she tries to knock off world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN). Maroulis is no stranger to beating Japanese world champions at the Olympics.

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) has a great chance to make history for Moldova by winning a medal even as the bracket has Kexin HONG (CHN), ANSHU (IND), Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) and Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) among others.

FS 86kg: Over to Yazdani

Ever since his move to 86kg after winning the gold medal at 74kg in Rio, Yazdani has lost to only one wrestler -- Taylor. With the American not in Paris, Yazdani has his tail up.

Throughout the 2023 season, Yazdani wrestled with a shoulder injury and it became a headache for Iran when he underwent surgery. Iran contemplated having a wrestle-off between Yazdani and 92kg world champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). But then Brooks beat Taylor.

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) trains in Mazandaran, Iran. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Yazdani won the Budapest Ranking Series and reignited his hopes of winning the gold.

"I thank God that I was able to get on the mat in international competitions after seven months and 13 days," Yazdani had said in Budapest. "I had a little preparation and it was around 60 percent. I hadn’t wrestled for a long time. I have some weaknesses that I hope I can fix before the Olympics so that I can wrestle better than these competitions and get the gold medal. I hope that until the Olympics, I can eliminate my weaknesses so I can win the best medal for my country and our good people."

Yazdani was winning the Tokyo final when Taylor scored a takedown in the final moments to claim the gold. A furious Yazdani walked off the mat, hitting anything that came his way. But two months after that loss, he defeated Taylor at the Oslo World Championships, his only win over the American. Taylor would rebound to beat him at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.

Brooks, a four-time NCAA champion, defeated Taylor in a best-of-three series at the trials. Brooks has a U23 world title and is now the biggest threat to Yazdani's gold medal.

Aaron BROOKS (USA)Aaron BROOKS (USA) won the 2023 U23 world title in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Yazdani has a solid underhook and has improved his conditioning but Brooks' defense is top-notch as Taylor found out at the trials. A wait-and-watch counter-attacking bout can ensue if the two meet in Paris.

Brooks is unseeded and will be drawn at random in the 16-wrestler bracket which means he can face any of the top wrestlers in the first bout.

Myles AMINE (SMR), who won a historic bronze for San Marino in Tokyo, is returning, hoping to stand on the podium again. Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) is another master of defense and will be a tough case to crack for any wrestler. 

Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL), Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) and Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) are some other potential medal hopefuls in Paris.

FS 57kg: History on line

When Spencer LEE (USA) won the U.S. trials, he did not know if he was going to the Olympics. He still had to qualify the 57kg weight for the U.S. He did so at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, in dominating fashion, barring one bout. Lee, a former U17 and U20 world champion, has now set his sights on the gold medal.

But at 57kg, the bracket is among the toughest in recent times. World champions Stevan MICIC (SRB), Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) and Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) are trying to achieve the same. Add to the list the European and Asian champions in Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), AMAN (IND) and Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB).

However, Lee has extra motivation to perform in France, his mother's native country.

"This is a big deal for me," Lee said in Istanbul. "My family lives in France. They live outside of Bordeaux. My grandmother has never seen me wrestle and it's a really big deal for me to compete in my mother's home country."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) won the Budapest Ranking Series in June. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Higuchi, a silver medalist from Rio 2016, has dabbled with 65kg but returned to 57kg to make the Tokyo Olympics. He missed the weight at the qualifiers. But a strict diet, planned weight cut and experience have helped Higuchi return to the Olympics. However, he doesn't think too much about the loss against Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) in the final in Rio.

“I don't look back at my matches. I want to move on. Next match,” he told UWW last year. "I don't feel bad about missing the Tokyo Olympics. The day I lost the chance to represent at the Tokyo Games, I began preparing for Paris.”

In his preparation for Paris, Higuchi has taken to cooking special meals for himself to keep his weight under control, training with specific partners, and enjoying the journey. He also got married and has a kid.

But for Olympics, Higuchi's battle begins well before he steps on the mat as he reduces at least seven kilograms.

"The aim is to lose 2kg of body fat per month," Higuchi was quoted as saying by Yahoo. "In my case, it takes about three months to bring weight to 59kg, and then I think the best way to lose the last 2kg is to cut out water and lose it before the match. When losing weight, start with a low-fat diet, and when you can't lose any more weight, switch to a ketogenic diet [restricting carbohydrates and consuming fat]. Repeat this process. And it's important to consume carbohydrates from a low-fat diet before a match."

Another wrestler heading to Paris with a weight cut on his mind is the reigning world champion Stevan MICIC (SRB), who defeated Higuchi in a thrilling 57kg final in Belgrade. Micic is the first Serbian world champion in Freestyle and will look to add a historic Olympic medal.

Micic, however, has only competed once since winning the World Championships. He won the gold medal at the Dan Kolov tournament at 61kg.

"First time competing since the World Championships, up at 61kg," Micic said on his YouTube channel. "I would give myself 9/10 this time. In my first match against Iran, he was young and motivated, any match against Iran is tough. At this kind of tournament, you are not supposed to be perfect. It's getting yourself that feeling of competition out of the way."

Stevan MICIC (SRB)Stevan MICIC (SRB) won the world title at 57kg in Belgrade in 2023. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Adonov)

In Paris, he wouldn't have to worry about an Iran wrestler though. Iran failed to qualify the 57kg weight class. However, it is yet to be seen if that will help Micic improve his 14th-place finish at Tokyo.

Also, Higuchi is hoping to avenge that loss in the final if the two meet in the final.

"I'll definitely pay them back in the real thing [Olympcis]," he said. "I know quite a bit about what technique my opponents will use and when. What are my weaknesses? I'm not that worried. I think that all I have to do is make small adjustments and corrections. I think I have to win the gold medal in Paris. After all, I love this sport and I've been doing it for a long time, so I have a strong desire not to lose."

Abakarov and Harutyunyan will look to end up on the podium as well. Harutyunyan had a high-scoring bout against Higuchi before going down in the World Championships semifinal. Abakarov, after suffering a loss to Micic, returned to win the bronze medal by beating Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN). Then there are Asian hammers in Abdullaev and Aman. While Adbullaev is going to his second Olympics after finishing fifth in Tokyo, Aman will be making his debut.

WW 57kg: Three-way battle for supremacy

Will the 57kg Olympic gold medal stay with Japan? The country which has dominated women's wrestling ever since it was added to the Olympics is expected to continue it. It has won the 55-58kg gold medal at all editions. So can Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) keep it with Japan?

Sakurai, a three-time world champion, has a strong 2-on-1 attack to go with her defense. However, that did not work in the final of the Asian Championships this year as she lost 5-2 to Yongxin FENG (CHN). Fortunately for Sakurai, Feng is not the Chinese representative in Paris.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) executes a 2-on-1 attack. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Despite the loss and a wake-up call before Paris, Sakurai was composed in her assessment of the bout, saying that her opponents are coming in with plans against her,

"I think everyone knows my style of wrestling," Sakurai said after the Asian Championships. "I have to train so that even if I get stopped, I can still find a way to score points. No matter the tournament, my objective is always to win the title. When you lose, there has to be a reason for the loss. I will look at this as I'm glad it wasn't the Olympics, and I will practice hard up to August."

Undoubtedly, Hong too will be ready with her coaches to pull off an upset. Hong has been on a roll this year, winning the Zagreb Open and Budapest Ranking Series, apart from winning the Paris qualification in Bishkek. In Zagreb, she defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) and then 59kg world champion and compatriot Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the final. She would once again beat Zhang in Budapest in the semifinal and win the gold with a win over ANSHU (IND).

But the world will be watching Maroulis, who made her third straight Olympics. She won the first-ever gold for the U.S. in Rio by beating the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN). She won bronze in Tokyo after dropping the semifinal against Risako KINJO (JPN). And Maroulis looks good for a third medal at the Olympics.

She lost only to Sakurai at the World Championships but won the Pan-Am Championships and the Poland Open this year. Maroulis has the habit of peaking towards the second half of the season in which the World Championships or the Olympics are held.

Nichita, the world silver medalist, can surprise anyone on her day but a recent injury and her loss to Anshu in Budapest must have given her a wake-up call. Currently training in Italy, Nichita can create history by winning the first medal at Olympics in Women's Wrestling, given Irina RINGACI (MDA) doesn't to do on day one.